The Democratic Alliance (DA) will provide the Green Scorpions with an updated report on the increasingly dire state of the Deben dump site as a fire, that has been burning for two weeks, poses health and environmental threats to the community.
With Deben engulfed in smoke, the toxicity of the air has left many residents struggling to breathe. One resident reported suffering lung complications and was advised by her doctor to relocate.
An oversight inspection of the dump has exposed further dysfunction.
In addition to heaps of burning garbage, the DA discovered that the municipal sewerage plant across the road is using a pipeline to dispose of raw sewage, mixed with oil, at the dump. The sewerage plant is in the process of backwashing its system, after a company dumped oil at the plant. By not dealing with this hazard properly, the municipality is effectively risking the contamination of borehole water, through seepage at the dump.
Fencing has also been stolen and the absence of access control enables illegal squatters to live on-site. Children as young as three-years old are seen chasing refuse trucks and scavenging without protection. Last year, a woman tragically lost her life after being dumped on by a garbage truck.
Livestock is consuming plastic, blown onto surrounding farmland due to a lack of management at the site.
The DA will submit our latest findings to the Green Scorpions. They are busy with a case involving the dump, that we initiated with them in 2018. We are hopeful that they will eventually succeed in compelling Gamagara to address serious non-compliance regarding the management of its landfill site, through the courts.
We have also reported our findings to the portfolio committee on community services. We expect municipal management, with the finance department, to assist in addressing the situation, as the worsening state at the dump is partly attributed to the non-payment of a contractor, with questionable credentials, who has ceased operations at the site.
Deben deserves dignity, clean air & safety and a municipality that works for its people, not against them.
The DA will continue to engage in serious negotiations with all stakeholders to secure the provision of fencing and security measures at the dump. We will also keep on fighting for a DA government to take over Gamagara in 2026, so that we can prioritise responsible, ethical and effective management of the Deben dump site, that protects the environment and the health of all Deben residents.